In the Otuocha community of Anambra State's Anambra East Local Government Area, a newborn child who had been saved from a pit toilet a day earlier has died. Read full article
Nwaedoka Chidimma, a 20-year-old woman from the Izzi village in Ebonyi State, is accused of throwing her newborn child into a pit after giving birth on Sunday, August 27, 2023, according to Bendelnews.
On Tuesday, August 29, some locals heard the baby wailing from the pit toilet, and they rushed to save him.
After Mrs. Ify Obinabo, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, intervened and took the infant to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Amaku Awka for treatment, the offender was later apprehended.
The infant passed away despite all attempts to save him, according to Mrs. Obinabo, who confirmed the tragic situation in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, August 30.
“It is with sadness that we wish to inform the general public that we lost the newborn rescued from a pit toilet in Otuocha a few hours ago despite all efforts to resuscitate the baby, including administration of oxygen and fluids, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital Amaku Awka. May his soul rest in peace,” she stated.
According to Esther, a local, the offender, who was pregnant at the time, obtained a farm job in the neighbourhood. While working there, she went to the toilet and returned covered in blood.
"Chidimma is a friend of mine who begged me to let her stay at my house for a few days so she could work on my farm. She was working on the farm when she suddenly began acting strangely. She had previously gone to the pit latrine to relieve herself after complaining of stomach discomfort.
"After spending some time in the toilet, she emerged covered in blood. I called a nurse right afterwards because I assumed she had a stillbirth, and she examined her and told me the baby had died.
I advised her to return home to tell her parents about the situation because I believed she had a stillbirth.
"On Tuesday, when we first heard a baby cry, we quickly used a ladder to climb down the pit and rescue the newborn baby before notifying the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and security agencies."